


all i need is you next to me

by himbodad



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: ALSO THEY'RE BOTH BI, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, Snow Day, Soft Magnulia, THIS IS ALSO KEY, also julia is stronger than magnus, it doesn't come up but you must know, its important that you know magnus and julia are always t4t in my head, this is key
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29090319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/himbodad/pseuds/himbodad
Summary: It's snowing in Ravens Roost, and Magnus and Julia enjoy a cozy day inside.
Relationships: Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	all i need is you next to me

**Author's Note:**

> wow, me? posting a fic for the first time in forever?
> 
> this is for estes (@fumkyfrenshfamtherfigure on tumblr)! happy birthday jay!! i love you so much, and this was so wonderful to write, i hope you like it <3333
> 
> title is from mary's song (oh my my my) by taylor swift because that Is a magnulia song you can't tell me otherwise

It’s snowing in Ravens Roost. Magnus can’t remember the last time it snowed, but it has to have been at least a year, given the fact that he had to dig through his entire closet to find his boots. His jacket is a little too tight around his shoulders from a year of muscle growth and long days at work. He flexes in the mirror and grins. He’s come so far. 

Julia’s in town, picking up some ingredients for a dinner her grandmother always made. It’s getting colder and the two Burnsides need some warm hearts to keep them through. Magnus buttons up his coat fully and pets Toad, his beloved puppy, before taking his first step out into the cold. 

Snow lands on his outstretched palm, and he can’t help but laugh. Where he’d grown up, snow was a rare commodity. Julia playfully mocks him for it, but Magnus can’t get enough of snowy days. It’s a celebration, a religious experience that deserves a whole day spent basking in its glory. Snowmen modeled after everyone he knows and loves will line the front yard of the Burnsides home for weeks until it heats up enough to melt their precious faces. His hard work is worth it. Especially when little kids come running up to him in public, asking if he could please make them in the snow, pretty please, they’ll give him the candy bar in their pocket and a half dollar- Magnus always gives them a smile and an approving nod. Two days later those kids pass by his house to see themselves, smiling faces etched in snow.

He grabs his trusty axe from the shed and gets to work. Julia will be freezing by the time she gets home, Magnus reckons. She loves the snow too, but she certainly never plans for it. Last he’d seen, she was wearing a short sleeved shirt and the skirt Magnus had sewn for her last Candlenights. Having made the skirt, he knows it's not nearly warm enough for the weather. 

There’s already some wood ready. Unlike his lovely wife, Magnus knows how to prepare for the cold. All that’s left to do is chop the wood down into more manageable pieces that’ll fit in the fireplace. He heaves the axe over his head and swings it down, cutting the wood clean in half. Magnus makes quick work of the rest of it before scooping the logs up into his arms and returning to the comfort of his home. 

Two logs go into the fireplace. The carpenter strikes a match against the brick exterior of the hearth, flicking it on top of the wood. It lights up instantly. Within moments, Magnus is warming his chilled fingers with its heat, and he can hear Toad trotting over. She flops on her back, waiting patiently for belly rubs that he graciously provides. He pats her head once, twice, and stands up. Magnus pulls on a second layer of thick woolen socks and makes his way into the kitchen.

The Burnsides residence isn’t large by any means, but its home. He couldn’t ask for anything more. The kitchen can feel like it’s closing in on him sometimes, but today it’s an inviting comfort, like a hug you don’t want to end. Magnus grabs two mugs from the cabinet. Couples mugs, made at a pottery class one of their neighbors held a few months back. The handles are a little crooked, the paint chipping away from overuse. They match. One red, one gold, with interlocking rings and axes painted on them. Magnus beams, remembering the love in his heart, the way Julia had kissed him with her face covered in paint, hands covered in clay. He hadn’t been much better off, a chunk of drying pottery stuck to his palm for days. His love in that moment knew no bounds. 

Magnus sets the mugs down gently on the counter, careful to not chip them any more than they already are. He’s a big man, and there’s an unfortunate precedent of him breaking his wife’s favorite mugs. These mean too much to him to risk.

Their kettle, a wedding gift from Julia’s aunt, is moved from the stovetop. Magnus retrieves a pot and a milk container, pouring enough in for two cups of hot chocolate. It’s Julia’s favorite drink on a cold day, as evidenced by the pure cocoa powder he finds next to chocolate chips and marshmallows in the cupboard. In goes the cocoa powder and chocolate. He stirs gently until it’s mixed before turning the stove off and throwing in marshmallows and some bits of dark chocolate he chopped up while the milk warmed. 

The hot chocolate is poured lovingly into the mugs. Toad has noticed her owner’s absence, and she stands at his feet, staring up at him in expectation. Despite the number of times Magnus and Julia have told her she can’t eat chocolate, Toad hasn’t connected the dots. Granted, she is a dog, but Magnus is a firm believer that dogs have brains rivaling humans. Julia has yet to crush his dreams in that regard, mostly because it’s cute. A grown man, having an in depth conversation with a dog that's nearly as hyperactive as he is.

“Hey, you know good and well you can’t have this.” Magnus squats down, rustling her fur. “Listen, you’ve been a good girl today… maybe I’ll let you have a treat early. Does that sound good?”

Toad’s tail wags violently, eyes widening. She runs in circles around his legs as Magnus reaches for the homemade dog treats hidden on top of the fridge. The second that the bone is in the vicinity of her mouth, Toad is jumping up and snatching the treat. She turns to run away, stopped by Magnus jumping in front of her.

“Now you have to finish that fast, alright Toad? Your mom can’t know I gave you another treat, this is our special secret. Understand?” Toad wags her tail and drools onto the hardwood floor of the kitchen. “That’s not an answer, Toad, I know you can do better than that. C’mon, are you gonna keep the secret or-”

“And what secret would that be, sunshine?” Magnus turns to see his wife in the doorway, hair dusted in snow and arms filled to the brim with cloth bags. “Could it possibly have anything to do with the treat in my dog’s mouth?”

He looks away, and he can hear Julia laughing. “Uh… I made cocoa! Go on and get cleaned up, I can put the groceries away- wait a second, did you call Toad your dog? She’s mine too! I mean, if you want to get pedantic about it, she’d be my dog, because I was the one that found her. Take that, Waxmen!”

“That’s Burnsides to you, mister.” Julia teases. “And I don’t need to clean anythin’ up, I’m good as is.”

“Jules, you’re shivering. Go put on some warm clothes- the hot chocolate will be here when you get back, I swear.” She gives him a look, but begrudgingly hands over her bags to her husband and makes her way towards their bedroom.

Magnus shakes his head, a lovestruck expression spreading over his face. Based on the amount of bags, he guesses Julia must’ve stopped for some extra supplies once the snow started. Sure enough, the first bag he opens has a box of herbal tea and a jar of honey from a local beekeeper. Julia’s second favorite treat on a freezing morning like this one. 

In the bedroom, Julia shakes out her hair, snow falling from her curls onto the tiled floor of their tiny bathroom. She can tell Magnus was expecting her arrival- there’s already a robe set out for her, and her favorite beanie is hanging on the doorknob. Her cold face warms so quickly that it almost stings. She loves her husband more than words could describe.

When the groceries are done, Magnus grabs the cocoa filled mugs and walks carefully into the living room, placing Julia’s on the side table and taking a sip of his own. It’s wonderful, as always, and the glory of its taste is only improved by the crackling fire in front of him. He stretches out on the couch, pillow propping up his head. Toad tries to hop up onto his lap, to no avail. Magnus places her gently on the floor. The day hasn’t been long by any means, but the cold always makes him a bit tired, and he’s not up to having an overgrown puppy scrambling around the couch.

He closes his eyes. A quick nap would do him good, and it sure as hell shouldn’t take very long for him to fall asleep. Magnus is a little sore from chopping up wood earlier, muscles exerted sufficiently enough for his body to be ready for a break. The quilt Julia made for him is warm- coupled with the fire, he’s cozier than ever. He’s beginning to feel the world fall away, sleep overtaking him...

“Falling asleep on me already? I didn’t think you’d be an old man for at least another five, ten years.” Julia runs her hands through Magnus’s hair, prodding his shoulder until he sits up. She slides in behind him, and he cuddles into her until his back rests on her chest. 

“S’not fair to call me an old man, Julia. I’ll have you know I chopped up all that wood over there, just so you could have a nice warm fire when you got home.” Magnus turns his head to her, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. Julia blushes. She’s wearing Magnus’s sweater. He can’t help but grin when he realizes that. Seeing his wife in his clothes makes him feel like a teenager again, eagerly awaiting the day when he could walk someone home and give them his coat. Everything Julia does makes him feel young again. He’s never really himself until he’s with her.

“Well thank you for that, sunshine. I needed something like that after the day I’ve had.”

“Rough out there, huh?”

Julia chuckles, sipping at her cocoa. “Oh yeah. Had to tell Maisie Cane that no, she didn’t need to bring over her old baby clothes, I’m not pregnant yet, yes I’m sure… you know how it goes.”

“To be fair, darling, you told Maisie of all people that we’re thinking about having kids. She’s got more of a reputation for gossip than anyone I’ve met.”

“I know, I know,” Julia groans, “but she saw me picking up the test that one day and wouldn’t leave ‘till I told her the truth. I can’t believe how nosy some people in this town can get, Magnus, I really can’t.”

“I couldn’t care less about them.” Magnus responds. His wife wraps an arm around him, and he nestles in even closer. “All I need is you.” 

He can’t help but disrupt his comfortable resting place. Magnus sits up and places his hands behind Julia’s waist, looking into her dark eyes.

“I love you, Julia.”

“I love you too, Magnus.” He leans in and kisses her, the taste of rich hot cocoa gracing both their lips. Julia runs a hand through her husband’s hair, and Magnus sighs as all the tension leaves his body. She always knows just what he needs. Today, that’s soft kisses and even softer cuddles. 

Toad barks, disrupting the tender moment. Magnus bites back a laugh, giving Julia a knowing look.

“Do you think Toad deserves couch privileges today?” He asks.

Julia tilts her head, tapping on her chin as she thinks. It’s a dramatic affair that happens so frequently that Toad is already sitting back and preparing to hop up.

“I suppose that’s alright. It’s so cold outside, she might freeze her tail off if we don’t let her.” Julia whistles, and Toad leaps up onto the couch, snuggling in between Magnus and his wife.

“What a diva.” He comments, scratching the dog’s head while she whines happily. “Do you think we’ve spoiled her? She’ll never be able to return to a normal life- she’s used to dog luxury, not dog poverty.”

“Hmm… now I bet my dad would say we spoiled her, but he used to give Luna ten treats a day ‘till she was so chubby her legs nearly gave out, so he’s got no room to talk. I’d say we’re wonderful dog parents!”

“And someday soon, we’re gonna be wonderful human parents too, aren’t we?” Magnus gives his wife a soft smile.

“That we are, sunshine. That we are.” 

The couple and their beloved dog sit and watch the fire in front of them, snow falling outside their window. When their cocoa goes cold and the dog has long since abandoned them for her bone, Magnus and Julia don’t move. They stay in each other’s arms. And they make the moment last forever.


End file.
